Many of my students have heard me refer to listening backwards. When first introduced to Jazz – or any music – we are usually told to start us at the beginning. Scott Joplin & Jelly Roll Morton, then Louis Armstrong. Enter the swing era, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and then Bebop, Cool Jazz, Hard Bop and onward until today.

Turn it around. We should start by listening to the most recent selections. One of my first jazz CD’s was Miles Davis’ The Complete Bitches Brew(1969). Raised on alternative rock and having just made my way through the Beatles Anthology, my eighteen year old ears had much more in common with Miles’ Jazz-Rock debut. The amplified timbres, back-beat groove, even the cultural history surrounding 1969 Miles Davis were all familiar.

From there, I explored the past. First more Miles, Kind of Blue, both great Quintets. Charles Mingus and the John Coltrane Quartet. Then Freddy Hubbard lead me to Lee Morgan to Clifford Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Monk and of course Charlie Parker. After all this listening I went back to Louis Armstrong. Now I could understand what Satchmo was saying. His playing is timeless, it was just my ears needed to be opened up.

I’ve taken this approach to lead me to whole new worlds of music. Jeff Buckley inspired me to discover Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Jimi Hendrix led me to Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Lightening Hopkins.

Take some time and look into the artists who influenced & inspired your idols. Find out where the journey leads you.